Book Island - Book Reviews by Writers

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What makes a good book? Offering a writers' perspective on all things books, Book Island is a bi-weekly book review diving into how literature works while never taking things too seriously.

Book Island and Friends


    • Oct 30, 2021 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 41m AVG DURATION
    • 34 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Book Island - Book Reviews by Writers

    Halloween! Peter Straub's 'Ghost Story'

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2021 24:59


    It's spooky season! In this episode, Lisa breaks down her thoughts on Peter Straub's Ghost Story.

    Gabriel García Márquez - Love in the Time of Cholera

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2021 28:29


    Following Lisa's review of In Cold Blood by Truman Capote last episode, Tim dives into Gabriel García Márquez's Love in the Time of Cholera.

    Truman Capote - In Cold Blood

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2021 24:56


    In this Episode, Lisa shares her thoughts on a true-crime classic, Capote's In Cold Blood, and it's lasting legacy on the true-crime genre.

    Who Gets to Be Smart? by Bri Lee

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 15, 2021 35:47


    This week Lisa unpacks Bri Lee's latest work, 'Who Gets to be Smart'.

    Garth Nix & Stephen King

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2021 31:33


    This week Tim dives deep into his read of Garth Nix's The Left Handed Booksellers of London, while Lisa shares her thoughts about Stephen King's The Shining.

    Melissa Lucashenko - Too Much Lip

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2021 31:25


    This time Lisa and Tim dive into Melissa Lucashenko's Miles Franklin winner, Too Much Lip.

    Book Chat

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2021 42:17


    This week Lisa and Tim chat books, while Lisa asks the hard questions!

    Stella Prize Nominees

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2021 40:18


    This week, Tim and Lisa dive into a pair of Stella Prize nominees: Ellena Savage's personal anthology Blueberries, and Laura Jean McKay's groundbreaking The Animals in that Country.

    Kerouac and the Beats

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2021 35:22


    This week Tim and Lisa share their thoughts on Jack Kerouac's On the Road, and the generation of literature it helped to define.

    Nicholas Sparks and Neil Gaiman

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2021 49:33


    Tara June Winch & Sophie Ward

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 25, 2021 42:13


    This week Tim and Lisa jumped into Tar June Winch's Miles Franklin winner The Yield, and Love and Other Thought Experiments by Sophie Ward.

    Foundations of Fantasy

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2021 52:15


    On this leg of the journey to Book Island, Lisa and Tim check out some of the supports that the contemporary fantasy genre is built on. While Tim takes on Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Lisa decided to check out George RR Martin's first novel in the 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series, A Game of Thrones.

    The Russian Classics

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2020 43:24


    This week, Lisa and Tim fall into some Russian classics. Lisa takes on Tolstoy's inimicable Anna Karenina, while Tim struggles through Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground.

    Jane Harper and Evie Wyld

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2020 42:50


    This week Lisa and Tim navigate the depths of Jane Harper's latest novel, The Survivors, and Evie Wyld's gothic The Bass Rock.

    All Our Shimmering Skies

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 16, 2020 33:03


    This week Lisa and Tim dive into award-winning author Trent Dalton's latest novel, All Our Shimmering Skies, to see if it lives up to the hype... and how it compares to Dalton's first work, Boy Swallow's Universe.

    Halloween Special!

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2020 30:09


    This time Lisa and Tim are thrilled to read some horror specials, under the blankets, where the monsters won't get us...Happy Halloween.

    Book to Film!

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2020 39:42


    This week Tim and Lisa dive into books recently adapted for the screen. Lisa picks up Ian Reid's I'm Thinking of Ending Things, while Tim takes on Sci-Fi classic Dune.

    Our Favourites

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 29, 2020 49:00


    This episode, Lisa and Tim talk through their favourite books, writers, and breakdown their reading experience!

    Coming of Age

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2020 50:56


    This week Tim and Lisa take on a couple of modern coming of age tales... with Lisa re-living her teens with Stephanie Myers' Twlight, and Tim reading Craig Silvey's Jasper Jones.

    Social Distancing

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2020 47:00


    This week Tim explored the stars with Max Barry's latest Sci-Fi tome, Providence, while Lisa devoured Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize winning The Nickel Boys... all while maintaining social distancing.

    Author Interview - Ross Watkins

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2020 62:26


    This episode, Lisa and Tim sit down with Ross Watkins, author of The Apology, to talk reading and writing for both adults and children, and more.

    Mining Aussie Gold

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2020 44:13


    This week Lisa and Tim unearth some more Australian gold, with Stone Sky Gold Mountain by South-East Queensland writer Mirandi Riwoe, and Australian poet John Kinsella's Hollow Earth.

    Science Fiction Fantasy Week!

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2020 49:00


    This week Tim and Lisa explore the depths of Science Fiction and Fantasy - with Jeff VanderMeer's Annhiliation, and the brand new The City We Became by Nebula/Huga Award-Winning NK Jemisin.

    Author Interview - Melanie Myers

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 9, 2020 53:57


    This week Tim and Lisa sat down with local South East Queensland Writer Melanie Myers to talk about everything from her novel, Meet Me at Lennons, to creative writing degrees, and more.

    Preview - Author Interview: Melanie Myers

    Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2020 5:47


    Melanie Myers is a local South East Queensland writer. We spoke to her about the creative arts, COVID-19's impact on creatives and university staff, and her debut novel Meet Me at Lennon's. Here's a preview of the interview.

    New Releases

    Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2020 41:22


    Audition Template: 1 Mono Host track (with Speech Volume Leveler), 1 Mono Interview track (with Speech Volume Leveler), 1 Stereo Sound FX with effects, 1 Stereo Music Bed track. 44.1k, 16 bit, Stereo Master.

    The McCarthy-a-thon!

    Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2020 60:48


    This week Tim and Lisa do their best to read as many Cormac McCarthy books as they can... and then throw out a hot take on Sally Rooney's Normal People.

    Got beef!

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2020 54:27


    This episode, Tim and Lisa tackle a new challenge: re-reading books they didn't like the first time. While Lisa tried to get back into Bret Easton Elis's White, Tim picked Bobby Hall's Supermarket back up.

    Classics!

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 13, 2020 52:14


    This week, Lisa and Tim review two classic novels: Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, and Mervyn Peake's Titus Groan!

    The Stella Prize!

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2020 54:10


    This week, Lisa and Tim take a long hard look at two works recently long-listed for the Stella Prize: short story collection Here Until August by Josephine Rowe, and Jess Hill's non-fiction See What You Made Me Do.

    Blowin' the bloody doors off!

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2020 28:26


    This week, Tim and Lisa explore the shoals of their mutual favourite actor, in Michael Caine's memoir 'Blowing the Bloody Doors Off.'

    Christmas Catchup

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2020 45:25


    This week Lisa and Tim tackle their Christmas reading pile, reviewing Find Me by Andrè Aciman, and Widow's Welcome by D.K. Fields.

    Award Winners

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2020 53:32


    This week Lisa and Tim review award winning novels: Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo, The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan, and Call Me Evie by J.P. Pomare.

    All Aussie Adventures

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2020 41:50


    This week Lisa and Tim review books by Australian authors: Wolfe Island by Lucy Treloar, Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe, and All The Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld.

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